Chapter 3: Rejecting Marriage
Luo Jinxiao felt a wave of heat rush to her cheeks. She stepped back hastily, wiping the bloodstains from her lips, cursing inwardly. As expected, a Demon Lord was still a Demon Lord, completely shameless and disregarding all propriety.
Qu Weiyin seemed to enjoy her flustered appearance, licking her lips with a satisfied smirk.
Luo Jinxiao quickly moved farther away, fearing that after Qu Weiyin was done drinking her blood, she would turn on her.
Time passed slowly in the silent room. No one came, and Qu Weiyin said nothing more. Instead, she began to meditate, surrounded by faint golden light, making Luo Jinxiao envious.
Yearning to cultivate, Luo Jinxiao tried to circulate her energy, but her spiritual roots remained empty. Dejected, she hung her head. Could it be that she was truly fated to be a good-for-nothing without spiritual roots?
She discreetly found a bronze mirror in the corner and stared at her reflection for a long time. Sure enough, her current body was identical to her previous one, with no difference in appearance.
She had the look of a twenty-eight-year-old, tall and slender, with flowing black hair falling from her temples. Her features were gentle and refined, giving an impression of innocence, though her thick eyebrows lent a hint of youthful heroism to her otherwise serene expression.
The situation was truly strange. She hadn’t had time to think earlier, but now, in the quiet, she stared blankly at her reflection.
How did she end up… becoming another person?
“Little waste.”
Qu Weiyin’s voice rang out, snapping Luo Jinxiao back to reality. She jumped and quickly ran a few steps, stopping abruptly in front of Qu Weiyin, trying to look as obedient as possible.
If she wasn’t mistaken, Qu Weiyin seemed to have a faint smile on her lips.
“What did he offer you?” The smile vanished quickly, replaced by a cold stare as Qu Weiyin looked directly at Luo Jinxiao.
Luo Jinxiao scratched her head. How was she supposed to know?
“Forget it. I doubt you’d tell the truth anyway.” Qu Weiyin sighed, slowly stretching her long legs, her bare feet touching the ground.
Her small, white toes were soon covered by her skirt. The long red dress trailed behind her like a crimson tail. Her hair was still neatly arranged, adorned with tiny golden flowers. For a wedding outfit, it was quite modest, yet it did nothing to diminish her captivating beauty.
Realizing she had been staring, Luo Jinxiao averted her gaze awkwardly.
“They’re coming.” Qu Weiyin said, looking thoughtfully at the door.
Instinctively, Luo Jinxiao quickly stepped behind Qu Weiyin.
As expected, after a while, the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, followed by a knock on the door.
“Enter,” Qu Weiyin commanded.
A group of people filed in, as if this were not a lady’s chamber but a public tea room.
Leading the group was a man in a gray robe, with a long beard reaching his chest, and sharp, authoritative features. His gaze met Qu Weiyin’s, and he frowned slightly.
Qu Weiyin’s expression shifted subtly. Hiding behind her, Luo Jinxiao shivered, sensing the wave of hatred emanating from her.
However, the hatred quickly dissipated. Qu Weiyin casually tucked a stray hair behind her ear and spoke, “Elder Qu.”
An awkward silence fell over the room. The visitors exchanged uneasy glances, seemingly surprised to find Qu Weiyin unharmed and unsure how to proceed.
Finally, Qu Chengzhou broke the silence. He put on a look of authority mixed with benevolence and said, “There’s no need for formalities. But today is your wedding day, and this room seems awfully quiet. Has the Luo family not treated you well?”
“Wouldn’t you know best whether the Luo family has mistreated me, Elder Qu? Besides, when did I ever accept this marriage proposal? How is it that I wake up to find myself suddenly wed?” Qu Weiyin’s words were laced with a smile, yet her tone sent chills down their spines.
“Weiyin, perhaps you’re unaware, but last night the elders observed celestial omens and detected a significant disturbance in your fate, indicating mortal danger. That’s why we rushed here, deeply concerned for your safety,” an elder with a kind face stepped forward, his concern seeming genuine.
Qu Weiyin let out a light snort.
Hidden quietly at the back, Luo Jinxiao listened to their exchange. So, Qu Chengzhou’s surprise upon entering was because he saw that Qu Weiyin was unaffected by the Love Gu and was standing there perfectly fine.
To think that, as an elder of the family, he would resort to such despicable means against his own niece, driven by greed for the position of family head. It was utterly repulsive.
The Wuhui Sect only permitted unmarried individuals to join for cultivation. So, by forcing Qu Weiyin into marriage, they could expel her from the sect, making it difficult for her to continue cultivating.
Two thousand years ago, the Luo family was just a minor family with no status, and she, a good-for-nothing with no spiritual roots, was the perfect pawn. Marrying her off to Qu Weiyin would not only expel her from the sect and humiliate her but also eliminate any chance of future retaliation with the Luo family’s support. It was a flawless plan.
As for how the Love Gu was administered and why Qu Chengzhou didn’t simply kill Qu Weiyin directly, those were questions only Qu Weiyin could answer.
And what about the masked man? He seemed familiar with Qu Weiyin and knew about the love Gu. Who was he?
Luo Jinxiao’s head spun. She shook her head, deciding to stop overthinking. None of this concerned her. All she needed was to escape the clutches of this female Demon Lord, and everything would be fine.
“I never agreed to this marriage,” Qu Weiyin continued.
A woman with white hair but surprisingly youthful skin frowned, her voice sharp. “Qu Weiyin, is that any way to speak to Elder Qu? Show some respect!”
Qu Weiyin glanced at her dismissively, as if she hadn’t heard, and continued, “So, it would be best to cancel the marriage.”
“Nonsense! Marriage is not a child’s game. Since ancient times, it has always been arranged by elders. How can you change it as you please?” Qu Chengzhou scolded. “Alright, since you are fine, Elder He must have made a mistake in his star reading. We shall take our leave.”
“Elder Qu,” Qu Weiyin interrupted, her figure flashing to block the doorway. Her phoenix eyes swept across the elders, radiating an air of dominance.
Qu Chengzhou’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t explain it, but today, Qu Weiyin felt different. Their locked gazes made even him feel uneasy.
“And what if I refuse to marry?” Qu Weiyin stated firmly, raising her right hand as light and shadows began to swirl around it, and her eyes started to change.
Observing the escalating situation, Luo Jinxiao panicked. Why was this woman so reckless, always on the verge of succumbing to her demonic impulses? She paced anxiously, desperate to find a solution. In a split second, she lunged forward.
Extending her arms, she blocked Qu Weiyin, then reached behind, grabbing both of Qu Weiyin’s wrists and pinning them behind her.
Caught off guard, Qu Weiyin instinctively tried to shake Luo Jinxiao off. However, her gaze fell upon the wound on Luo Jinxiao’s arm, and her movements faltered.
Despite her ruthless reputation, Qu Weiyin valued gratitude. She knew that Luo Jinxiao, without spiritual roots, couldn’t withstand her strike.
Suppressing her annoyance, she hissed, “Little waste, what business is this of yours? Get out of my way, or I’ll kill you first.”
Luo Jinxiao was fed up with the constant insults. If it weren’t for her own survival and the need to protect the world from this future Demon Lord, she wouldn’t waste her time on Qu Weiyin.
“Esteemed Elders, let’s resolve this peacefully. There’s no need for conflict,” she said with a forced smile.
“We’re leaving,” Qu Chengzhou said, completely ignoring Luo Jinxiao as if she were invisible, and attempted to brush past her.
“Wait!” Luo Jinxiao stepped to the right, blocking Qu Chengzhou’s path. “Elder Qu, please wait. While we are supposed to obey our parents’ wishes, we truly cannot marry!”
“And why is that?” The female elder scrutinized Luo Jinxiao before asking.
“Because…” Luo Jinxiao racked her brain, glancing at Qu Weiyin. Unable to come up with a believable excuse, she blurted out, “Because our birth signs don’t match, our spiritual roots clash, so we can’t get married!”
As soon as she spoke, there was a moment of silence. Behind her, Qu Weiyin nearly stumbled.
“We’ve compared our birth signs, and they are extremely compatible,” Qu Weiyin whispered softly into her ear.
Luo Jinxiao quickly changed her tune, “It’s our spiritual roots that are incompatible, so we cannot marry.”
A scornful chuckle broke the silence, followed by a man’s voice, “Miss Luo, everyone knows you’re the only one in the Luo family without spiritual roots. What’s this nonsense about incompatible spiritual roots?”
Luo Jinxiao glared at the speaker. He was a young man in white robes, handsome but with an unpleasant, petty air about him.
She shot him a glaring look and then turned back to Qu Chengzhou.”Elder Qu, I’m telling the truth. While the differences between spiritual roots may seem insignificant, they are divided into yin and yang. If the spiritual roots are incompatible, marriage is impossible, as it could lead to demonic cultivation.”
The short Elder He shuffled forward, standing on his toes to address Qu Chengzhou. “Elder Qu, there is indeed such a theory. However, incompatible spiritual roots are extremely rare. It requires one to be extremely yin and the other extremely yang, one with a Heavenly Jade Gold physique and the other with a Delicate Ice Heart. In my thousands of years, I’ve only encountered one or two such cases.”
“And Weiyin does possess the Heavenly Jade Gold physique, which is exceedingly rare in the world.”
“So what if she has the Heavenly Jade Gold Physique? Does she have spiritual roots? If she can prove it today, then this marriage will be called off,” the female elder said with a frown.
“Of course… I can prove it,” Luo Jinxiao said, patting her chest confidently. Inside, however, she was in a panic. She had no spiritual roots, and it was all a bluff.
But this was the only option. She had to go through with it, even if it meant bluffing. She remembered reading about a method in an ancient text that could create the illusion of spiritual roots with the help of someone with high spiritual power.
Pretending to channel her energy, she waved one hand dramatically while her other hand discreetly reached behind her, grasping Qu Weiyin’s hand.
She felt Qu Weiyin stiffen.
Fortunately, Qu Weiyin understood the importance of the situation. Despite Luo Jinxiao’s boldness, she hesitated only for a moment before beginning to channel spiritual energy into Luo Jinxiao’s hand.
Qu Weiyin’s hand was warm, and the energy flowing from it felt like a comforting sun on a winter day. Her spiritual energy was powerful and abundant. Luo Jinxiao quickly focused, reciting the mental spell and trying to guide Qu Weiyin’s energy.
The scorching energy surged through her her body, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She struggled to control the flow, feeling dizzy and overwhelmed.
As expected of the future Demon Lord, even before succumbing to her demonic side, her cultivation was formidable. Luo Jinxiao gritted her teeth and endured.
Suddenly, another force erupted within her, like a defense mechanism, moving faster than Qu Weiyin’s energy, clashing head-on with it within her spiritual roots.
Realizing the danger, Luo Jinxiao quickly let go of Qu Weiyin’s hand. But the new force didn’t dissipate; instead, it grew stronger, like a wild horse finally breaking free after years of confinement.
The collision of hot and cold energy was too much for her mortal body to bear. A metallic taste filled her mouth, and her vision blacked out as she swayed backward.
Just then, a soft, warm hand caught her around the waist, steadying her. The familiar scent of flowers enveloped her as her back bumped against something soft and warm.
